Kingdom Hearts: The Reluctant Reality
by Marche100
Summary: Sora has finished his business with the Heartless, Organization XIII, and the Mark of Mastery Exam. Now, he just wants to take a break. Donald and Goofy show up to convince him otherwise, and in doing so, make a few things clear. 1: They are not theirselves. 2: Sora is their prisoner. 3: Sora must embark on the same tired adventure once more. 4: Cid is in danger. What is going on?
1. New Blues, Old Friends

**Authors note: Hello guys and gals. Thanks for just clicking on this and reading this far. I know there are a zillion Kingdom Hearts fanfics, so being interested enough (or bored enough, depending on how you look at it) to click on this is a plus in my book. So, thanks.**

**I used to come to many years ago under the penname TheMasterLink. I wrote fanfictions such as Kingdom Hearts for Dummies 1, 2, Remix, Remix 2. I probably made a few of those up, but I made a heck of a lot of those. They were immature, but well received. You can still look them up. I'm deciding to pen this one under a different username, now, to separate myself from that. Also, I can't figure out how to log back into the account in the first place (very old email), so there you go.**

**This is a semi-humor piece I'm writing, but I'd like to think it'll have its adventure, too. It's certainly a lot better than any of the crap I produced years ago. I don't need reviews to tell me that much (at least it's not a spelling/grammatical nightmare, like my old stories were). So, enjoy, and I know people say this all the time, but please, feel free to read and review, give me some feedback. I'll pump out a few more chapters of this, tonight, if I can, but I'm in my first year of college, so it might take me some time to muster up the free time to make some more chapters, after that. Rest assured, I will do my best to at least get a chapter out every night or two.**

**Now, this authors note has gone on long enough. Let's dive in, shall we?**

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**Chapter I - New Blues, Old Friends **

The bottom of the glass stared back at Sora. He slumped his head to rest on the edge of the table. It was just another boring night in Traverse Town. Not that Sora wanted any excitement. He had plenty of that after dealing with Ansem, Organization XIII, and the Mark of Mastery exam. Now, he just wanted a break. He had thought about going back to Destiny Islands, but seriously, what was there to do there? Make another raft? Pfft. Sora knew all too well how that turned out. He leaned back and stretched, yawning, when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Donald and Goofy walking towards him.

"Donald, Sora's over there! Hey, Sora!" Goofy called out. "How's it going?"

Sora jumped out of his chair and flung his glass at Goofy, hitting him square in the head. "Stay. Away. From me. I know where this is going before you even open your mouths, and I am here to take a break. Not to go on another adventure." Sora began hyperventilating and shifted his eyes from Donald to Goofy rapidly.

"Calm down, Sora, we're just here to help," Goofy said, seemingly unfazed by the shards of glass lodged in his noggin. "I mean, can't good friends visit each other whenever they want?"

"Yeah, just listen to yourself, Sora. We're your friends, Donald and Goofy," Donald said, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "Now, why don't you get out from under the table?"

Sora sighed and slid out from under the table that he had unceremoniously hid under moments before. He brushed himself off and took a deep breath. Then, without a word, he flung the table at Donald and Goofy and sprinted down an alleyway as fast as he could manage, hopping barrels that blocked his way and turning a corner to find...Donald and Goofy waiting for him.

"What in the world-" Sora started, but his thought was cut short by Goofy grabbing his neck and holding him up against the side of the building. "Goofy...what are you...gak..."

Goofy looked at Sora, grinning like a madman. "Sora, you have to go on another adventure." Sora struggled, but stopped when he saw Goofy's eyes turning coal black. "It is your destiny."

"The hell it is!" Sora sputtered, summoning his Keyblade and slamming it into Goofy's head.

He struck again and again, but Goofy's head hardly budged an inch. All it seemed to do was make Goofy's shit eating grin even wider. He tightened his grip around Sora's neck, and Sora clawed for air, swinging the Keyblade wildly. Donald walked over and jumped into the air aimlessly. He gave a grunt of dissatisfaction and kicked Goofy in the shin. Goofy perked up and muttered "sorry" before lowering Sora, although keeping the same tight grip on him. Donald jumped again and grabbed the Keyblade out of Sora's hand.

"You will do what we say," Donald said, snapping the Keyblade in half over his knee, like a twig. "All the worlds you love are waiting. Wonderland...Monstro...Agrabah..." Donald raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. "Olympus Colosseum..."

With that last one, something in Sora's mind snapped, and he managed to pull himself out of Goofy's grip, falling to his knees and retching into the ground. "This is madness!" he gasped. "I'd sooner kill myself than go back to Olympus Colosseum for the fiftieth time! You two aren't Donald and Goofy! Who are you?! What are you?!"

Donald's eyes began turning the same deep black as Goofy's, and he chuckled. "Oh, we can arrange your death, if you'd like. But first, you should make certain that you're willing to take the risk."

Donald produced a remote control from his pocket and pressed a button on it. Goofy turned toward the opposite wall of the alley and opened his mouth. A light protruded from his mouth, and at its end a projection appeared on the wall. It was blank at first, but soon some pictures began to appear. The first was of Kairi, hanging from a rope above a pit of alligators, bawling her eyes out. The second was of Cid strapped to a massive pizza tray in front of a large oven. The last was Riku, trapped in a lion's den with nothing more than a stick, and a blunt stick at that.

"No...you can't do this!" Sora yelled, getting to his feet. "Leave my friends alone!"

"Oh we will, a-hyuck," Goofy chuckled. "Just complete your adventure."

Sora paused for a moment, his face lighting up a few moments later. "Wait a minute...how do I know that you aren't pulling my leg? Prove that it's them."

"Fine," Donald sighed. "Choose one person that you don't care about very much, and we'll prove it."

This was a very important decision, Sora knew. Goofy projected a picture of all three captives at once, so that Sora could look over each of them in turn. Kairi...Cid...Riku... Each was a good friend. Well, two of them were. The other one was just kind of always there. Sora thought to himself for what seemed like ages. Kairi...Cid...Riku...Cid...Kairi...Cid...Riku...Ci d... Sora had made his decision.

"What is your choice?" Goofy asked, awkwardly. "I can't hold my mouth open much longer."

"I choose..." Sora paused, his eyes resting on Cid's picture. "Riku."

"Cool, kill it," Donald said, making a cutting motion across his neck. Goofy nodded, and suddenly all that was projecting was Riku's predicament. The Lions suddenly perked up, as if realizing something, and they all pounced on Riku, who was ripped to shreds in a matter of moments. The projection turned off, and Goofy pulled something out of his pants. He handed two polaroids to Sora, one of Kairi and one of Cid.

"These are yours to keep," Goofy explained. "That way, whenever you feel like not adventuring, you can remember what you're giving up in the process."

Sora nodded and took a deep breath, staring at the pictures with tears in his eyes. He suddenly ripped up the Kairi one. "I don't think I need this one. Cid's is the only one I need."

"Hey, whatever floats your boat," Donald shrugged. "Now, we've got a gummi ship with some warp chip crap already installed on it for you, so you don't have to deal with the horrific flying sections. You'll find it at the entrance of Traverse Town."

"Thanks for that," Sora exhaled in relief. "But, you snapped my Keyblade in half. What do you expect me to use when I fight?"

"Try summoning your keyblade again," Donald explained, rolling his pitch black eyes.

Sora held up his hand and summoned his Keyblade. Rather than the Kingdom Key, as he expected, a grey Keyblade made of metal appeared in his hand, with various chain links adorning it. At its end, rather than a small chain with a crown attached, there was a small chain with an iron ball. It felt heavy, and Sora could tell it would weigh him down. Just swinging it would likely take practice. He de-summoned and exchanged a look with Donald.

"You are our prisoner," Donald stated, matter-of-factually. "You will obey us. And you will carry the weight of Kairi and Cid's lives as you do. You will learn to bear its weight or fail and die." Donald pointed to the sky. "Your first stop will be Wonderland. Get going."

Sora looked as if he wanted to punch Donald for calling him a prisoner, but calmed himself down and composed himself. "Before I go, I have to ask you again. What are you?"

Donald and Goofy both grinned simultaneously at that, then turned and left without so much as a word. Sora grumbled in frustration and turned toward the entrance of Traverse Town, walking back along the same beaten path he had walked so many times before. He didn't want to go on another adventure. Not in the slightest. But Cid was in danger. That was reason enough to go. Sora fumbled with the door latch and climbed inside, turning the key in the ignition. He strapped himself in and set his sights on Wonderland. So began his next adventure...

**Kingdom Hearts: The Reluctant Reality**

**To be continued...  
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	2. Breaking the Cycle

**Author's Note: Hello again, everybody. Same night, different chapter, eh? I've got another one coming, tonight (actually it would be this morning, since it's about midnight at the time of this writing, so if you're sticking with me, there will still be another chapter's worth of fun coming to you in a short while. **

**Part of the fun of making a story like I am here is trying to break the cycle. In Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Re: Coded, and so on, you would go through worlds and they'd be all be same cookie cutter worlds. Different game mechanics, perhaps, but same story, same locales. You'll see me at least trying to break that, here, because that frustrated me when I was playing. If you take me to the same world twice, do something new or unexpected with it. Take risks.**

**Hopefully, you'll get that feeling here, as well.**

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**Chapter II - Breaking the Cycle**

Sora docked the gummi ship in Wonderland and took a step into the bizarre room, a room that seemed to rearrange itself depending on which of the many obvious and hidden entrances to the room you took. Sora knew the room well. Far too well, for his tastes. He wasted no time in walking over to the table in the center of the room that held two drinks: one that would shrink you, and one that would cause you to grow, and stopped for a moment. He realized that he was supposed to go on an adventure, but beyond that, he had no idea of what he was supposed to be doing, here. To that end, he thought for a moment and walked over to the side of the room that held a small door. Resting on the door, as always, was the Doorknob, who was sound asleep.

"Hey, Doorknob, wake up!" Sora called out. The Doorknob snored loudly. "WAKE UP!" Sora yelled. Still, the Doorknob slept on, relentlessly.

Sora scratched his head for a moment and got an idea. He stood and cracked his back for a moment, doing some stretches. Then, he pulled his leg back and swung it at the small door with as much power as he could muster. A loud 'BANG' rang out, followed by a few moments of silence. Sora thought that even such an effort as that had failed, but no sooner did he think that than the Doorknob opened its eyes. They were black, just like Donald and Goofy's.

"What are you doing, Sora?" the Doorknob asked. "Continue your journey. Such is your task."

"Yeah, sure, that's easy for you to say," Sora complained, "but I have no idea of what I'm doing back here or what I'm supposed to do. Donald and Goofy weren't exactly clear on that."

The Doorknob sighed. "You must go on an adventure. Defeat the threat and seal the keyhole. Just as you did, long ago. Now, let me sleep until you have finished your business here and can seal the keyhole."

Sora grumbled and turned back to the table. In the past, he drank from the bottle on the table that shrank him, made his way through to the court of the Queen of Hearts, gathered evidence to clear Alice of her supposed wrongdoings, and faced the Trickmaster, a large heartless. He shuddered. If he had to go through that one more time, he would vomit. Again, he looked at the table in front of him. He had to do his duty. He had to go on an adventure, defeat the threat, and supposedly seal the keyhole. But, wait a minute...they didn't specifically say _how_ he had to do all that.

_Time to gain some of my freedom back_, Sora thought to himself, as he grabbed the bottle that would make him grow and downed it.

Almost immediately, he grew to a gigantic size, larger than he had ever been before. His feet crushed the table that formerly held the growth drink, and before long his head nearly burst through the ceiling. He pressed his hand on the ceiling of the room to try to hold himself down so that he wouldn't completely wreck the room, but that proved fruitless, as his hand smashed through the ceiling, and the rest of his upper body soon followed. From so high up, he could see the rest of Wonderland. The forest, the Queen's hedge maze, the Mad Hatter's party, everything!

The Doorknob snapped its eyes open. "What do you think you're doing, Sora?" it hissed. "You must remember your place! Do as we say, or else Kairi and Cid are as good as dead!"

Sora laughed. "I'm doing exactly what you guys told me to. I'm going on an adventure. I'll fight whatever is out there and seal the stupid keyhole, but I'll do it my way. Not the way that I've been doing it for what feels like the past decade."

The Doorknob opened its mouth as if to speak, but all that came out was a string of nonsensical stammering. Sora ignored it and raised his feet to step over the boundary of the Bizarre room and towards the Queen's hedge maze. He made his way over, but before he could stoop down to speak to the Queen, a swarm of what looked at first to be aerial heartless rushed at him. He ducked and quickly turned around to see them coming in for another swoop. They were grey skinny creatures with wings and glowing yellow eyes, but they didn't look like any heartless that Sora had ever seen. In fact, he thought he caught the symbol of an eye on the belly of one as it flew by.

"Who are you guys?" Sora thought aloud. "I've never seen your kind."

"Of course you haven't!" The Queen of Hearts screeched up at Sora from somewhere below. "We never said you would be facing those puny heartless you've been fighting all these years! Deal with them! They stole my memory!"

"Well, at least this time you aren't stupid enough to think Alice stole your memory," Sora snapped back.

Without another thought Sora summoned his Keyblade, only to fall to the ground and nearly crush the forest in the process. He struggled to his feet and remembered that this Keyblade was a lot heavier than the ones he used to use. What a pain. He used all his might to pull up the Keyblade and ready himself for a swing only to be knocked back to the ground by the swarm of creatures, who clearly did not wait for him to finish getting his act together. Despite his size, their claws still stung, and he found himself back to square one with pulling himself from the ground.

Sora grunted, clearly irritated, and managed to get back into position more rapidly. This time, as the swarm came at him, he swung clumsily at the swarm and managed to knock a few out of the sky. The other screeched, as if maddened, and turned back towards Sora, taking up a V-formation. Sora managed a chuckle and thought to himself, _like lambs to the slaughter_. He heaved the Keyblade across the sky in a horizontal motion, sending the horde flying back into the sunset. He let out a breath of relief and de-summoned his Keyblade, grasping his shoulder.

"That is killer on my arms and shoulders," he puffed. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to that."

"Well, you had better get used to it, and quickly," a voice purred. Sora jumped and turned his head to see the Cheshire Cat on his shoulder, whom looked more like a pink insect than a fully grown cat, at Sora's size. "They've got their eye on you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, but was stopped by a loud thudding noise.

Over the horizon, an eye appeared that seemed to stare into Sora's very being. It sent shivers down his spine. The thudding grew louder, and it soon became apparent that the eye was etched to the forehead of a large creature the same size as Sora. It didn't look like it was looking to chat, and it slowly but surely was moving towards Sora's location. After a few more moments, Sora could make out that the offender was a large silver feline that stood on two paws and had a face of a tiger. Its claws were large and gleamed in the sun, almost like metal, and it had the tail of a lizard.

"That's the one, Sora! Destroy it!" The Queen of Hearts bellowed up at Sora. "You must!"

Sora and the creature exchanged a look, and a sort of silence fell over Wonderland. Sora was trying to get a read off if it, but it was deadly calm, as if it was confident in its ability to kill him with a twitch of its finger. It suddenly surprised Sora when it spoke.

"So, you are their tool in all this," it growled. "I pity you."

"You pity me?" Sora guffawed, trying to act tough. "I just took down that fleet of...whatever they were!"

"Yes, and you were a skyscraper swatting ants," the creature purred. "Hardly a fair fight. They were but foot soldiers. I am the guardian of the keyhole in Wonderland. I am the Cheshire Tiger."

"So, you're going to try to stop me, is that it?" Sora asked. "Many have tried."

"That is my duty," the Cheshire Tiger explained. "I am to set you on the right path."

"You're saying that you're their tool, too, then?" Sora asked, scowling. "More of this nonsense about me going on this big adventure, doing this, and doing that? Following their grocery list? You're just an item on that list, aren't you?!"

"Enough!" the Cheshire Tiger roared. "You understand nothing, and your questions will get you nowhere!"

The Cheshire Tiger leapt at Sora like a lightning bolt, whom rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being mauled. The Cheshire Tiger ended up landing on what remained of the Bizarre Room, which crumbled in a heap below him, save for the door with the Doorknob, which stood strong, as if it were indestructible. Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade and struggled with the weight for a moment before rushing forward towards the Cheshire Tiger. He let out a yell as he swung the Keyblade down at him, but the Cheshire Tiger rolled aside and pounced to its feet.

"You are too slow, boy," it remarked. "That Keyblade is too much of a burden for a weakling like you."

Again, the Cheshire Tiger pounced, and Sora fell backwards onto the forest, holding up the Keyblade to stop the Cheshire Tiger's claws from reaching him. The scrape of metal on metal rang out, and Sora managed to push the Cheshire Tiger off of him before getting to his feet. _He's too fast_, Sora's mind raced. _I'm not experienced enough with this Keyblade, yet. Maybe if I slow him down, I'll be able to get a hit off on him._ He turned just in time to duck as the the Cheshire Tiger took a swipe at his head.

Sora de-summoned his Keyblade and narrowly evaded the Cheshire Tiger's attacks, which were getting thrown at him left and right. He was desperately trying to think of a way to slow him when one of the swipes connected, sending Sora to the ground. The Cheshire Tiger stepped towards Sora and leered at him. Sora quickly did a head check and saw that he was sitting right next to the site of the Mad Hatter's tea party. Before the Cheshire Tiger could react, he grabbed the long table on which sat numerous tea pots and cups and swung it at the Cheshire Tiger's head. With an earsplitting crack, the Cheshire Tiger was knocked backwards, and the table split in two.

"Hey, we were using that!" the Mad Hatter yelled from below, spilling tea everywhere as he jumped from his seat.

Sora ignored him, tossed the table aside, and jumped to his feet, summoning his Keyblade as he did. He started swinging as fast as he could, hitting the Cheshire Tiger while it was down. At first, the blows came slow and clumsy, but as he swung the Keyblade more, his strikes got faster, while retaining their raw power. The Cheshire Tiger mustered up some energy and tried to use its claws to block the swings, but the Keyblade shattered them in a few powerful blows. The Cheshire Tiger laid out on the ground, in defeat.

"You may want to deny your fate, but there are far more important things at risk than freedom," it gasped. "Complete the journey, and save your friends."

"I will," Sora sighed, de-summoning his Keyblade.

Sora left the lifeless body of the Cheshire Tiger and padded over to the Doorknob. On the way, he head shouts of joy from the Queen of Hearts and her court, but all he felt was disgust. In the end, it wasn't a victory. He was still being used, and he didn't know to what end. _It's all for Cid_, he told himself. _I have to save him. And Kairi too, I guess._ But still, that didn't make it feel any better. He brushed away the debris on the ground and managed to find the bottle to shrink him back down to a proper size, still intact. It was too small to simply drink, so he simply threw it into his mouth and swallowed it. A few moments later and he was at his regular size. He stooped down next to the Doorknob.

"Alright, I'm finished here," Sora said. "Now, let's get this keyhole business taken care of."

"Aw, not feeling well?" the Doorknob chortled. "Don't worry, it only gets better from here." The Doorknob opened its mouth wide as Sora pointed the Keyblade at it. A beam of light shot out from its end into the Doorknob's mouth, and the same old familiar clank of the keyhole locking sounded out.

"Just shut up and tell me where to go next," Sora demanded.

"It's your favorite," the Doorknob grinned. "Olympus Colosseum."

"Damn it, of course it is," Sora sighed.

The Doorknob began laughing uncontrollably, and though he knew it was useless, Sora gave the door a solid kick before turning his back and heading to the gummi ship. He hopped in and started it up, setting a course for Olympus Colosseum, but before he could lift off, a LED screen flickered to life. Sora knew he didn't want to look, but he turned his head, and who else but Donald and Goofy were grinning at him behind the bright screen.

"Good job," Donald exclaimed. "Now the denizens of Wonderland are safe, yet again!"

"You know as well as I do that there aren't any denizens to speak of left in Wonderland," Sora growled. "Just more...things, like you and Goofy. And on top of that, I'm pretty sure I destroyed half of Wonderland just to seal the stupid keyhole."

"Aw, that's not a nice thing to call Goofy," Donald said, patting Goofy on the shoulder. "But the whole destroying Wonderland thing was your own fault."

"Not that you broke any of our conditions," Goofy said, "but doing your own thing can have its consequences."

"Anyways," Donald clapped his hands together, "it's Olympus Colosseum, next. Don't you try to run off on us, now. It'll all be over, soon enough. Good luck!"

The screen flickered to black. Sora simply did his best to keep his emotions in check and set sail for Olympus Colosseum. As much as he hated to admit it, they were right. It was his fault that Wonderland was partially destroyed. But still, he decided to keep on doing his own thing. After all, maybe he'd get to take some of those horrible creatures that had a leash on him out in the process.

To be continued...


	3. Backfire

**Author's Note: I'm so dang tired after writing this. But here, that's three chapters in one night. That should be enough to satisfy for a while. I find it interesting how quickly this fanfiction changed. At first, it was more humor oriented (with the whole "oh, you can kill Riku" thing), and now it's turning out to be more dramatic and analytical, as is evident by some of the final scenes, here. **

**Don't know how much that'll keep up as I continue-not that it's a bad thing-but I find it totally strange. I think it has to do with my lack of sleep. I'll get right on fixing that. ZZzzz...**

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**Chapter III -** **Backfire**

Sora touched down in Olympus Colosseum just a few minutes after he disembarked from Wonderland. Like Donald said, at least the warp chip was in place. Maybe those monsters had some sort of souls after all, although they sure didn't like to show it, much. Sora stepped out onto the dirt ground and peered up at the Colosseum, where numerous tournaments were behind held round the clock. _I hate this place so much_, Sora thought to himself. Still, he mustered up the strength to take the bold steps to go where no Sora has never walked before and stepped into the Colosseum Lobby. Just as he expected, Phil, the satyr who trained heroes was waiting for him.

"There you are, Sora," he smiled. "I've been wondering where you were. Still training to be a hero, I hope?"

"Drop the act," Sora said bluntly. "Normally, I would put up with the charade, but not in this world. You aren't Phil."

"You know I can't do that, Sora," Phil said, his eyes turning black. "You have some serious training to get to, if you want to be true hero material. I'll knock that attitude right out of you and make you nice and strong."

"Fine, then," Sora wrinkled his face. "Set up the pots and the pans, with the pointless yellow orbs that I have to collect. Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible."

Phil grunted. "You really should go see a psychiatrist or something, you know that?" He waddled over to a corner of the room and hefted a pot over his shoulder, mumbling to himself as he left. "Pointless yellow orbs, pah!"

Sora sighed and melted onto a bench to the side of the lobby. As much as he hated Olympus Colosseum, it was painful to see people like Phil be imitated like that, as if they were the real deal. Phil was a good guy, once you got right down to it. Who knew if the thing that was setting up the pots outside was even capable of being good? Heck, now that Sora thought about it, what if these worlds were just mere imitations? Was that really the Wonderland he remembered? Sora was weighing his memories when his train of thought was suddenly broken by the sound of flames.

"He-hey, kid, haven't seen you around for ages!" Hades laughed as he appeared before Sora in a burst of fire. "How's it going? Still doing the whole Keyblade thing?"

"Buzz off, Hades," Sora snapped. "I'm not in the mood."

"Hey, well, I just thought maybe you and me could come to a little deal," Hades cooed. "See, I found this concoction to make ordinary squirts like you a God for just a few hours, although it's so difficult to make that this is a once and done deal, and I was thinking maybe you could use that power to take out Hercules for me. In return, I'll show you the keyhole." Hades slipped over to Sora's side and put his hand on his shoulder. "Good deal, don't you think?"

Sora glared at Hades, but suddenly his expression changed. "Actually, I'll do you one better. If I'm a God, I can go to Mount Olympus, right? Well, rather than hit Hercules, what if I were to take Zeus out of the picture?"

Hades jumped backwards, in shock. "You...you'll do what, now?"

"I'll do just what I said," Sora smiled wryly. "I'll adventure to Mount Olympus, defeat the threat of Zeus, and seal the keyhole. That ought to fulfill you vultures." Sora stood from the bench, feeling like a king. _And since these guys are definitely not the real deal, I wouldn't actually be hurting the real Zeus,_ Sora thought. _It's a perfect kick to the face._

"I...well, uh...I, uh..." Hades stammered, his eyes turning black. "I wasn't at all prepared for that, but I guess if that's what you want, you can deal with whatever comes your way." Hades pulled out a contract. "Just sign this."

Sora signed the contract, and Hades tossed a small vial over to him, covering his eyes with his free hand as he did so, as if he regretted doing what he just did. Sora wasted no time in downing it, and a soft golden glow began to emanate from him. By the time Phil returned from setting up the pots, Sora was glowing brightly, and as soon as Phil saw it his jaw hit the floor. He stared over at Hades, who stared back for a few moments and shrugged, shaking his head, mouth agape. Sora laughed and turned back to Hades.

"Tell me where Mount Olympus is," he demanded. "It's time to get this show on the road."

"Well, it's not like you can just walk up there," Hades explained. "I mean, it's a massive floating island in the sky. It's your problem getting there! You chose this path."

"No, Hades, it's not just his problem," Phil piped up. "Sora needs to be on the right path, and while he chose an absurdly stupid way to get there, he's essentially right, he's still meeting our conditions."

Hades wiped his face with his hand and sighed. "Then, what do you think we should do?"

"Three words," Phil answered. "Let him borrow Pegasus. That will get him there."

And let him borrow Pegasus, they did. While the creature was far from the happy flying horse thing that Sora remembered (in fact, it seemed angry that it was disturbed for a job like this), it got him to Mount Olympus soon enough. Even if it was an imitation, as he suspected it might be, Sora marveled at the beauty of it all. The dwellings of the gods rested at the top of Mount Olympus in their splendor, and a lovely town lay at the base of the mountain. Around it all, fluffy clouds dotted the sky. Pegasus let Sora off in the town square and neighed angrily at Sora before leaving.

The first thing Sora thought once Pegasus had left was: _Where the heck is everyone?_ Sora knew that Olympus Colosseum was usually barren of all life other than Phil, but he had expected Mount Olympus to be full of people and Gods alike. He thought he spotted a person in a windowsill, but they were gone as quickly as he had seen them. _So, they're hiding from me then_, Sora gathered. _I can tell that they weren't expecting me_ _to come anywhere near this place_. _I guess I would be scared, too._ He took another look around and suddenly saw something glowing blue coming at him at an insane speed. He moved to duck, but stopped once he realized that it was a person that had been coming towards him. Or, rather, a God.

"Hey, great to have you here," the God said, shaking Sora's hand. "Name's Hermes, God of merchants, thieves, travelers, doctors, and so on. Only thing that applies to you is the traveler part, though, unless you've got a band of thieves you'd like to tell me about. What you do need to know is that I'm the messenger of the Gods."

"So, you have a message for me?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. "That means that the Gods already know I'm here."

"Please, babe, they're the Gods," Hermes laughed. Sora thought he saw Hermes' eyes start to turn black behind his glasses. "And we're always watching you. News travels fast. Anyways," Hermes gave Sora a pat on the back, "you just figured it out yourself, but my message is that Zeus is expecting you."

"Well, why doesn't he just come down here and fight me then," Sora questioned. "Let's settle this here and now!"

"No, see you didn't let me finish," Hermes said, flying away. "He left you a little welcome party."

_Welcome party?_ Sora wondered. _He can't mean...oh, no._ Sora summoned his Keyblade as golden goblin-like creatures poured out of the houses around him and surrounded him, all with the symbol of an eye emblazoned on their chests. _I landed right in the middle of the town square. Perfect place for an ambush._ One hopped up on a crate that was a little larger than the others and donned a cape with the same symbol of an eye on it. It held up its hand, which sent all of the creatures into a readying stance. _There's that symbol of an eye again. They're always watching me, just like Hermes said, and I guess they're watching those creatures they're using, too. We're all just pawns, in the end._

The larger creature gave out a shout and pointed at Sora, signaling for all of the creatures to attack. They each shouted in turn and rushed towards Sora, brandishing small swords that looked like metal toothpicks. Sora leapt into the air over the crowd, causing them to run into each other and take some of their own out in the confusion. Sora took the chance to leap at the larger creature and get a solid swing at him. It blocked the attack with his sword and yelled over to the mob of creatures in an attempt to get them to help it. Sora whipped around as the mob charged and sliced his way through them with ease. _It's a lot easier to deal with these guys when they don't have you surrounded_, Sora noted.

Sora turned back to the leader of the creatures to deal with him, only to find that he disappeared, and that more creatures were coming out of the houses. Sora quickly did an assessment of his surroundings and spotted the leader fleeing across a rooftop. Sora gave chase, cutting down creatures left and right that dared to get in his way. _Enough is enough!_ he wanted to scream as the leader hopped from the rooftop and began making its way up the pathways towards the top of Mount Olympus. He sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him, looking for a decent opening, and finally found himself catching up. He raised his Keyblade in preparation for the final strike when a giant fist suddenly crushed the creature.

"So, you had the gall to come up here rather than to deal with the Colosseum again," Zeus remarked. "You've got guts, I'll give you that, but this time, you chose the wrong road."

"At least on this road I can take one of you monstrosities out," Sora said. "I didn't feel at all good about defeating the Cheshire Tiger, because he was a pawn, just like me. But you, you're one of _them_."

"Well, you're right about one thing," Zeus grinned. "That tiger was a pawn, but you, you are no pawn."

"You're using me!" Sora said through gritted teeth. "You're blind if you don't think that makes me a pawn!"

"Not so much using you as controlling you," Zeus pointed out. "You're no pawn. You're the king in this game of chess. You have restrictions, but you're the most important piece. If we lose you, the game's over."

"So, why bother fighting me?!" Sora yelled. "Why must you insist on throwing these creatures at me if I'm that important?!"

"Because it is my duty," Zeus boomed. "I do not ask when given instruction. I simply do. Such is the true nature of a pawn." Zeus leaned forward and beckoned Sora closer. Reluctantly, Sora drew towards Zeus, whom whispered into Sora's ear. "In all honesty, I admire your resolve to defy your fate while staying within the boundaries so that your friends do not come to harm. I'm going to do you a favor."

Sora stepped backwards. "What do you mean, do me a favor?"

Zeus's began to laugh loudly, shaking Mount Olympus. He wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, my, you think it's something bad, don't you? Listen, here. I'm going to defy my fate, as well."

"You...You what?" Sora was speechless.

"Yes, yes, I'm supposed try my darnedest to smash you into the ground like I did with that fellow over there," Zeus motioned to the motionless puddle that used to be the goblin-like creatures' ringleader, "but I will defy my fate as well and simply allow you to defeat me, without a struggle. Think of it as the one favor you'll get on your journey."

Sora hesitated a moment. Could it be that there was actually some good in these things that were controlling Sora's movements? It seemed strange, but Sora almost got the feeling that this version of Zeus had a heart. But, Zeus said that it was the one favor that he would get, so maybe he was just a rogue agent in what was otherwise an army of things out to control Sora. This was just like the situation with the Cheshire Tiger, only worse. Sora thought that he would feel a great sense of victory in taking down the evil version of Zeus, that which he did not feel when he only took down the pawn that was the Cheshire Tiger, but now he'd be taking down the one person who felt like a potential ally over his journey thus far.

Still, Sora had to do it. If he didn't fulfill his requirements: Go on an adventure, take down the threat, and seal the keyhole, there was no telling what the consequences would be. Sora knew this, and Zeus knew this. The only threat here was the one he agreed upon back with Hades. Zeus. Sora had dug this hole, himself.

"I'm sorry," Sora said, as he swung his Keyblade at Zeus and felled him. "I'm so sorry."

Pegasus met Sora back in the town square. The rest of the creatures had disappeared as soon as they had seen their leader get crushed by Zeus. Sora was taken back to Olympus Colosseum, where he met with Hades, who showed him the keyhole in the Colosseum Lobby. Hades did a lot of talking, but Sora didn't hear a word of it. He just had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't even remember sealing the keyhole and getting back into the gummi ship. He just sat there. Seconds passed. Five minutes. An hour. The LED screen lit up around the second hour and snapped Sora out of his funk.

"What in the world are you doing?" Donald demanded. "Get a move on, would you?!"

"Uh, Donald, I think we forgot to tell him where to go next," Goofy pointed out.

"Sora is supposed to figure this one out himself!" Donald quacked. "First, he forced us to go to all the trouble of moving the threat up from the Colosseum to Mount Olympus, but then Zeus had to go rogue and let Sora defeat him! This was a disaster!" Sora could practically see the steam coming out of Donald's ears. "Zeus would have told Sora where to go if he hadn't gone rogue, and we wouldn't have even needed Zeus in the first place if Sora had just traveled the beaten path! This is Sora's problem, now!"

Donald stormed off-screen, but Goofy stayed behind. "Donald may have a point about this basically being your fault, but this was really a freak incident, and you _were_ pretty well following the rules, so I don't see why we can't tell you where to go next." Goofy cleared his throat. "Next stop is Agrabah. You know what to do."

Sora nodded. "Thanks," he said. "You know, Zeus seemed like he had a heart. Maybe you do, too?"

Goofy paused for a moment as if he were going to say something, but seemed to change his mind. The monitor switched off, and Sora was once again alone to his thoughts. How long would this go on? How many worlds? How much more would he have to suffer? And were they even planning to let Cid and Kairi go, in the end? Who knew. Sora took a deep breath and set a course for Agrabah. Perhaps he would find some answers, there. Perhaps not. The only way to find out was to press on.

To be continued...


	4. The Path to Wonder

**Author's Note: Hey guys, it's me again. Hope some people are reading this. I dunno. You tell me. Either way, I'm going to keep on writing this stuff until we come to the end of the story. And we most definitely will come to the end of the story in the not too distant future. I've got plenty of content yet, to go through, but I can't see this being one of those 40 chapter fanfics that still manages to stay interesting. I think 20 is pushing it. But numbers don't really matter. We'll just see where we end up.**

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**Chapter IV - The Path to Wonder**

The gummi ship landed just outside of Agrabah, grains of sand swirling around it as it did. Sora hopped out and looked out onto Agrabah. The Sultan's palace loomed in the distance, gigantic and just as grand as ever. He could see the bazaar just past Agrabah's gates, a place that was usually teeming with life, where people sold various goods and foodstuffs. It was also where Sora had the displeasure of encountering various heartless and nobodies, in the past. But this time, the stands stood silently, swaying gently in the breeze. Sora strolled over to one and wrinkled his nose as he smelled the rotten fruit that had been baking in the sun for some time. He picked up an apple and wasn't surprised when it fell apart in his hand. Tossing it aside, he gave another glance around.

The entirety of Agrabah seemed like it was deserted. There were usually rats scampering here and there, but even they seemed to have disappeared. It was like Sora was back on Mount Olympus, where he had jumped off of Pegasus only to be met with silence. That was also when he had been jumped by small creatures that wanted him , Sora made his way past the empty stands to one of the many small buildings that littered Agrabah. They were simple buildings made of stone, with maybe a square shuttered window or two here or there, a wooden door, and a small chimney, but someone called this place home.

Sora peered walked around the side and peered in through one of the windows. The house was empty, and it seemed as if no one had been there for some time, if the sand that dusted the tables and chairs was anything to go by. A sound suddenly made Sora turn around, and he saw a face he knew all too well. The peddler, a small man easily distinguishable by his plain blue clothes, pointed goatee, and large turban.

"Where is everyone?" Sora asked. He then considered for a moment. "And more importantly, what did you do this time?"

"I haven't done anything, young man," the Peddler replied.

"OK, what did Jafar do this time?" Sora asked, irritably.

"Ah, Jafar..." the Peddler's face looked grim. "He has traveled to the Cave of Wonders to find the lamp of a genie that is said to rest there." The Peddler leaned in close to Sora. "You know what you must do, yes?"

"Spare me your life story," replied Sora, shoving the Peddler to the ground and walking back towards the gates of Agrabah.

Back through the gates, a vast desert stood between Sora and the Cave of Wonders. In the past, a magic carpet took Sora to the cave and back, but it was clear enough that the chances of anyone helping him in this world were nil. He couldn't make the trek on foot, as sandstorms raged on, clearly visible against the horizon. Even then, he wasn't entirely sure of where the Cave of Wonders was. Sure, he had been there and back again many times before, but it wasn't like there was a giant neon sign with an arrow pointing out its location. No, that was the kind of thing reserved for Traverse Town.

"Problem, young man?" The Peddler's voice made Sora jump and sent him sprawling on the ground.

Sora stood and spit sand from his mouth. "Don't scare me like that!" he steamed, shaking his fist at the Peddler. "I'll figure something out, don't you worry."

"Then do so and get a move on," the Peddler calmly said. "Jafar won't wait around forever."

Sora considered his options at the moment. He needed to get to the Cave of Wonders, but he couldn't do it by foot, and he needed a way to find the Cave of Wonders in the first place. He used to fly there on the magic carpet. Fly...He had it! Sora ripped open the gummi ship's door and jumped inside. Various screens flickered to life as he turned the key in the ignition. Usually, his locations were pre-set, but his eyes swept from screen to screen, looking for the one that said 'Warp Drive Destination'. Finally, his eyes came to a rest over a small screen to the side that said just that, and in a text box under it, 'Agrabah'.

"Sora!" The Peddler screeched, grabbing hold of the side of the gummi ship and trying to claw his way up the side. "You wouldn't dare run, would you?!" His eyes were as black as space.

Sora was getting tired of this impostor dogging him. He turned to another screen he knew all too well and set the gummi ship's targeting systems to lock on to the Peddler. He grabbed hold of a handle sitting on the control panel in front of him and hit the button on its end, sending a barrage of energy blasts at the Peddler. He was knocked backwards, off of the gummi ship and onto the sand, below. "No, I'm not running," Sora said, turning and typing 'Cave of Wonders' into the text box of the warp drive screen. "Now just stay down there and let me do what I have to do."

The Peddler looked furious as the gummi ship lift off from the ground, hovering in the air. Sora punched the 'warp' button on the warp drive screen and a bright light enveloped the gummi ship. Almost as soon as the light had appeared, it disappeared, and the Cave of Wonders stood menacingly in front of the gummi ship.

It had always looked strange to Sora, and almost scary. It was always nighttime around the cave, and the Cave of Wonders' deep blue color almost blended into the clear sky. You could only truly make it out when you stepped close to it, and then you would see that the cave's entrance took the shape of a fearsome tiger head, eyes glowing white and maw poised open, as if waiting to snap down and trap any traveler foolish enough to wander inside. Even worse was the soft orange-red glow emanating from within its throat. Like fire, it was both attractive and frightening at the same time.

_Time to do my duty_, Sora thought to himself, pushing open the gummi ship door and jumping to the sand, below. As always, the cave was housed in the center of a broken circle of steep cliffs. The rocky walls stood tall all around him, intimidatingly. The only passage out was a small break in the circle behind Sora. But of course, that wasn't an option.

Sora stepped up to the Cave of Wonders and put his hand on its lower lip, hoisting himself up a bit to get a look inside. He froze. He could hear Jafar's laugh echoing from deep within the cave. The same laugh he had heard a thousand times over. Waiting for him to come and silence it. No, there had to be a way to do this that didn't involve him going into the cave and fighting Jafar routinely, like a paint by numbers book. Sora pushed himself away from the cave's entrance and took a few steps back, summoning his Keyblade.

_I'll make sure that Zeus' sacrifice wasn't in vain._ Sora thought to himself. _I'll continue to deny my fate. Even if it doesn't change the outcome in the end, I can at least make those bastards controlling me seethe in anger! I'll bring this whole cave down on Jafar's head!_

Sora pulled his Keyblade back and struck the Cave of Wonders with all his might. Over and over again, he chipped away at the large tiger head, like a madman. Sweat crept up on his forehead, and he thought that perhaps he wasn't getting anywhere when he felt the ground begin to tremble a bit. Bits of the roof of the cave's mouth begin to fall, and the entire cave began to sink inwards, collapsing in on itself. He pulled back for one final strike and froze. There was someone sitting on top of the Cave of Wonders. The person stood and jumped from the cave, landing behind Sora with a loud 'THUD!'

"You've got some nerve, Sora," the person said, with a voice like a snake. "Acting as if your chains aren't there. No, no, no, that won't do at all."

To be continued...


	5. The Prisoner and the Jailer

**If I had to rename this chapter, I'd call it "The Reader Getting Tons of Information Thrown At Him Chapter". I don't think it's hard to follow, but this is definitely a turning point in the story. I hope you guys enjoy.**

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**Chapter V - The Prisoner** **and the Jailer**

Sora turned to see himself staring back at him. At least, that's what it looked like for a moment, before he realized that he was staring at Anti-Sora. They had first encountered each other years ago on Captain Hook's ship, their Keyblades clashing under the candle-light. A pitch black pureblood heartless that took the form of Sora, its glowing yellow eyes and large grin had left quite an impression on Sora. Sora had defeated Anti-Sora that day on the ship, and hadn't seen him again until much later, when he went on his adventure to fight Organization XIII.

Near the start of that particular adventure, the three good fairies had bestowed upon Sora the power to borrow the power of his friend's and transform into a more powerful form for a short period of time. These forms were called 'drive forms'. Occasionally, however, overuse of the power would backfire, and Sora would turn into Anti-Sora. He still held the reins when that happened, but the form was wild and unpredictable. Sora thought he had seen the last of Anti-Sora. Until now, that is.

"What?!" Sora blurted out, shocked. "You're one of them?"

"Me? One of them?!" Anti-Sora let out a high pitched laugh and threw his head back. He paused a moment, then suddenly swept up to Sora and knocked his feet out from under him with a low swipe, sending Sora tumbling backwards to the ground. Anti-Sora put his foot on Sora's chest and held him down. "I'm the one who made them."

Sora struggled to get up, but Anti-Sora's strength was beyond him. "Then, tell me what they are! Donald, Goofy...Everyone from the worlds! What did you do to them?!"

"Oh, I will, but you're getting ahead of yourself," Anti-Sora delivered a kick to Sora's head with his free foot. "You remember how you used me, don't you? I saw it in your eyes. You remember. When you tried to use a drive form and got stuck with me, instead. I was your prisoner, stuck inside your body, only seeing the light of day when something with the drive forms went wrong, and even then I wasn't the one in control!" Anti-Sora gave Sora another kick.

"You were my prisoner?" Sora coughed. "That's how you see it?!"

"Even if you didn't intend for it to be that way, that's how it was!" Anti-Sora declared, putting more pressure on Sora's chest with his foot. "You lost your drive form power after that adventure, and I was free. But I wasn't going to just up and forget all you'd done. No, I decided to reverse the situation. I would make you _my_ prisoner. I would be in control, dictating where you should go and what you should do. I would make you suffer!"

"So, you sent me on an adventure?" Sora asked, squirming against the ground. "Weak idea of a punishment."

"Is it? Oh, have you forgotten, or are you just trying to act tough?" Anti-Sora mused. "You hate going to the same worlds over and over again. Reliving the same adventures just because some new threat pops up. It was perfect for you. I just needed some way to make you come under my control, and soldiers to enforce it."

"Now we're getting to Donald, Goofy, and the rest of them, right?" Sora asked, having given up his struggle to return to his feet.

"Yes," Anti-Sora replied, taking his foot off of Sora, seeing that he had accepted that it was useless to fight. "Those are my creations. Well, they're mostly my creations. I met up with that duck Gyro Gearloose in Traverse Town who likes to tinker with mechanical creations and...persuaded him to create them. They're clockwork soldiers."

Sora struggled to his feet, getting his breath back. His mind was racing, both taking in everything that Anti-Sora was saying and trying to decide whether to fight or to run. His instinct was to run, but if he did that, Cid and Kairi would be executed. He had seen Anti-Sora's strength, though. If he decided to fight, he would likely be killed without so much as putting a dent in Anti-Sora's stamina. Still, questions relating to what Anti-Sora was saying flooded his mind. Why couldn't he hurt the clockwork soldiers? What was the deal with his Keyblade? Why was Anti-Sora here telling him all this in the first place?

"I can read your eyes," Anti-Sora smirked. "You're confused, and thinking of running or fighting, but I know you're not that stupid. You're wondering about why you can't hurt the clockwork soldiers, right? Well, they aren't just any soldiers. You were on to something when you told Goofy that he might have a heart. That's Goofy's heart in there. Shrouded in darkness, yes, but it's the real deal. Since I _am_ a heartless, I simply stole his heart and put it in a new body."

"But, how does that explain how I can't hurt them?!" Sora shouted, tears in his eyes. His friends didn't deserve to have their hearts stolen and placed in machines. And, now, he learned that their hearts were full of darkness? That explained why their eyes would turn the color of darkness, but that was no comfort. It stung, all the same.

"It does," Anti-Sora said, irritated. He waved his hand. "You have to let me explain these things. Because they have hearts, it boosts their power, both offensively and defensively. A mere imitation of Goofy wouldn't have been able to slam you up against a wall, like he did in Traverse Town, or take simultaneous direct blows to the head. So, there you have it." Anti-Sora shrugged. "Satisfied? Now, then...Like I was saying before, I needed a way to bring you under my control. And that brings us to _that._"

Anti-Sora pointed to the Keyblade in Sora's hand. Sora hadn't even realized that he was still holding it from when he was trying to destroy the Cave of Wonders. They Keyblade glinted under the starlight, a soft light reflecting on the chains that weaved to and fro across the Keyblade. The chain-link ball at the end didn't feel as heavy as it once did, back in Wonderland, but it in no way felt light. _So, this wasn't actually just symbolic of my imprisonment,_ Sora thought_, it was actually the catalyst of my imprisonment. It's my literal ball and chain._ He looked at the Keyblade in disgust and thought of de-summoning it, but thought better of it and gripped it tighter.

"Yes, you have no idea of the lengths I went to get that made," Anti-Sora chortled. "It's bound to your heart. Like I said before, I had to find some way to make you come under my control, and this was it. You accepted this Keyblade of your own free will and went on an adventure, so that Kairi and Cid didn't have to die. Once you did, it was all over." Anti-Sora grinned and held up a finger, as if he were about to make a point. "Believe it or not, this Keyblade ebbs your power. You're as weak as a puppy. Not so weak that you can't destroy those heart-less clockwork soldiers I made like the Cheshire Tiger, but weak enough that you stand no chance against me or your friends. You became my property."

"I think we've established that I'm a prisoner!" Sora roared. "Now, just tell me why you're here telling me all this! Just to make me suffer more by learning the truth of what happened to my friends and the true nature of this Keyblade?! How much longer must this continue?!" Tears streamed from Sora's eyes.

"Yes, suffering is good," Anti-Sora rubbed his hands together, devilishly. "But that's only half the reason. You haven't broken your conditions: to adventure, fight the good fight, and seal the keyhole, but you've been very busy making my tear my hair out in frustration! Doing your own thing, rather than reliving your adventures point by point! Somehow affecting Zeus' heart through your actions and getting him to go rogue! Even refusing to go on an adventure in the first place back in Traverse Town!" Anti-Sora sighed and passed a hand through his pitch black hair. "You know, I actually felt sorry for you, at first, and ordered Donald and Goofy to act friendly and kind to get you to begin your journey. It would have been your last bit of kindness before a torment of suffering. But, you had to resist and turn tail, and they had no choice but to get physical!"

Anti-Sora reared back his head and let out a roar that split the air around him and Sora. He jumped back and summoned a Keyblade, to Sora's surprise. But then again, he supposed it shouldn't have been a total surprise, since when they had first clashed, Anti-Sora wielded a Keyblade similar to the Kingdom Key. This Keyblade was different, though. It was made of pure darkness, but it reminded Sora of his own Keyblade. It had chain links, like his, only they were broken. On the end, rather than a link of chains ending in an iron ball, there was a link of chains ending in a ring of keys. Anti-Sora pointed his Keyblade at Sora.

"I was going to allow you to finish your journey before I did this, but I will not tolerate a rowdy prisoner!" He yelled, pure fury in his eyes. "I've been postponing your death with adventures to make you suffer, but you've been on death row for long enough! I AM THE JAILER, AND I WILL EXECUTE YOU!"

To be continued...


	6. The Key to Life

**Author's Note: I can't think of much to write except for a fun fact, although it contains a spoiler for this chapter, so you might want to read the rest of that before reading this. Actually, I'm just going to put the fun fact at the end, so you don't accidentally see it or get tempted. I know that happens to me, a lot.**

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**Chapter VI - The Key to Life**

Anti-Sora jumped forward and swung his Keyblade at Sora with incredible speed. Sora made to roll to the side, but was struck just as he poised himself to move and was sent sprawling. Anti-Sora ran up towards where Sora lay and gave a yell, jumping toward him and holding his Keyblade above his head, intending to bring it down on Sora. Sora managed to roll to the side and jump to his feet just as Anti-Sora's keyblade hit the ground, appalled that even a slower attack like seemed quick as lightning.

_It's my Keyblade_, Sora thought to himself. _It's slowing me down. Drawing out my power._

Sora, didn't have long to think, though, as Anti-Sora was back on him in a flash. Sora evaded a few quick swings, sweating with the strain that it was to keep up. Anti-Sora suddenly flashed Sora a grin and thrust his Keyblade forward, intending to run Sora through. Sora managed to bring up his Keyblade to block the attack, but the sheer power of it sent him flying backwards, toward the Cave of Wonders. He hit one of the upper teeth of the Cave of Wonders' mouth and feel to the ground. Anti-Sora walked up to him and held his Keyblade to the side of Sora's head, like an executioner ready to decapitate someone.

"So, you intended to kill me all along," Sora said, struggling to his feet.

"What, does that surprise you?" Anti-Sora laughed. "This isn't a charity, you know. You and I can't coexist. If I were to just let you go, who knows when I would be stuck inside you, again, waiting to be controlled? I won't let that happen. Not again."

Anti-Sora raised his Keyblade to finish Sora and swung his Keyblade down. Sora mustered up what strength he had left and slid under Anti-Sora's legs, evading the attack. Rather than hitting Sora, as intended, Anti-Sora's attack hit the lower lip of the Cave of Wonders. At first, nothing happened, but then a loud rumbling sound filled the air, and the Cave of Wonders began to fall inward, into the caverns below it. With it, the ground of the area around the Cave of Wonders began to fall in through the ceiling of the underground caverns, as well. Anti-Sora whipped around and sneered at Sora.

"You may think you've escaped, but even if you get out of here, you have no idea of what's waiting for you," Anti-Sora growled. "You _will_ die. I've made sure of that."

The ground suddenly gave way under Anti-Sora, and he fell down into the caverns below, which glowed orange and red from the torches hanging on the walls. However, Sora noticed that the torches were being snuffed out one by one as the ground gave way and the sand that normally covered the ground topside poured down into the caverns and stifled them. Still, this was no time to gawk. Sora turned and ran for the gummi ship, desperately trying to avoid falling into one of the many holes that had appeared in the ground. He threw open the door and jumped inside, just as the ground gave way below the ship, sending it tumbling into the darkness below.

_I want to live_, Sora prayed as he punched the first location that came to mind into the warp drive screen. _I want to be free._

He punched the button that said 'warp' and closed his eyes. Sora waited...and waited...and waited some more. He didn't feel the impact of the gummi ship being crushed like a tin can as it hit the floor of the underground caverns, or of being buried by the sand that was pouring into the caverns. That was a good sign. He opened his eyes. The place that he had landed dark. He looked to his side and saw that he had typed the words 'Traverse Town' into the warp drive screen. _The world for people looking for refuge. How appropriate._ Sora thought to himself.

He opened the gummi ship's door and stepped out, looking around. He was in Cid's shop, only it was dark because its owner was gone. He must have made a sort of warp drive crash landing if he ended up here. He made his way over to the shop's sole light switch and turned on the lights. The same charming accessories that Sora would browse from time to time lined the display cases, or what used to be the display cases. The gummi ship had pretty well crushed the counter that Cid always stood behind, and the display cases with it. Other than that, the shop was still intact. There was a small table and chairs where people could sit and relax while they gave the shop a look over, and there was a ladder leading up to the second floor, where a band of moogles ran a synthesis shop.

_Oh, no. Cid._ Sora thought to himself, panicking. _What's going to happen to him, now that I've run?_ _This is no time to reminisce. I have to get out of here and find out where he is._

Sora burst out of the doors of Cid's shop and out into the open-air of the first district of Traverse Town. He froze as soon as he saw them. Donald and Goofy ran up to him, Donald looking quite angry.

"You didn't finish your business in Agrabah," Goofy said, solemnly. "You ran."

"You idiot! Now rather than a nice quick death at the hands of Anti-Sora, do you have any idea of what you're in for?!" Donald quacked at Sora, spraying spit everywhere. Or, would it be artificial spit, since Donald was a robot?

"You guys are going to try to kill me, aren't you?" Sora asked, summoning his Keyblade. "Well, I won't go down without a fight!"

"No, we aren't going to kill you!" Donald shouted.

"_That _is," Goofy said, pointing to Sora's Keyblade.

"What are you talking about, Goofy?" Sora asked, his face growing grim. Then, he took a look at his Keyblade.

The Keyblade was glowing red, the chains vibrating wildly and the iron ball swinging, as if it were possessed. Suddenly, the chains began to crack, a high pitched hissing filling the air. The iron ball snapped off of its chain and flew into the air, nearly hitting Goofy, who stepped aside, quickly. It buried itself three feet into the ground where he stood moments before. The Keyblade began to become very hot, very quickly. Within a few seconds, it had gone from stone cold to piping hot. Sora dropped the Keyblade with a cry of pain, not taking his eyes off of it for a second.

Where cracks had formed on the chain links, steam hissed and escaped, filling the air with a high-pitched screech. One by one, the chains shattered, sending shards flying in all directions. Sora ducked behind Goofy, who could, of course, stand to take it if a few stray shards hit him. The Keyblade began to spin violently, faster and faster with each passing section. After what was only a minute, but felt like ages, it suddenly stopped and lifted into the air. Its chains were gone. The iron ball buried in the ground. Sora moved to grab it, but before he could, it shattered, like glass. The pieces fell and disappeared into the air before they even hit the ground.

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy. "Well, I don't see how that was supposed to kill me," he shrugged.

"You don't understand," Goofy said, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"That Keyblade was bound to your heart," Donald informed Sora. "You ran. You broke the three golden conditions you agreed upon. So, the Keyblade broke. And with it, your heart will break, too."

Sora grabbed Donald and shook him. "What?! What do you mean, my heart will break?!"

"Well, not exactly break," Goofy admitted. "More like, your heart will grow weak very quickly and stop altogether."

"You have around three hours before that happens," Donald proclaimed. "You're a dead man walking."

To be continued...

* * *

**Author's Note: As I was saying, fun fact. Rather than go to Traverse Town at the end, I originally was going to have Sora go to a Toy Story world. He would still type 'Home' into the warp drive screen, but it would refer to Andy's Home, which would be the "official name" name of the world so to speak. But then, I thought 'that world would not at all fit what's going to happen next, and I have no idea of what Sora would do there'. Anyways, Donald and Goofy wouldn't be there. That's unacceptable.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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